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Applications of microalgal biofilms for wastewater treatment and bioenergy production

Overview of attention for article published in Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts, May 2017
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Title
Applications of microalgal biofilms for wastewater treatment and bioenergy production
Published in
Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts, May 2017
DOI 10.1186/s13068-017-0798-9
Pubmed ID
Authors

Ana F. Miranda, Narasimhan Ramkumar, Constandino Andriotis, Thorben Höltkemeier, Aneela Yasmin, Simone Rochfort, Donald Wlodkowic, Paul Morrison, Felicity Roddick, German Spangenberg, Banwari Lal, Sanjukta Subudhi, Aidyn Mouradov

Abstract

Microalgae have shown clear advantages for the production of biofuels compared with energy crops. Apart from their high growth rates and substantial lipid/triacylglycerol yields, microalgae can grow in wastewaters (animal, municipal and mining wastewaters) efficiently removing their primary nutrients (C, N, and P), heavy metals and micropollutants, and they do not compete with crops for arable lands. However, fundamental barriers to the industrial application of microalgae for biofuel production still include high costs of removing the algae from the water and the water from the algae which can account for up to 30-40% of the total cost of biodiesel production. Algal biofilms are becoming increasingly popular as a strategy for the concentration of microalgae, making harvesting/dewatering easier and cheaper. We have isolated and characterized a number of natural microalgal biofilms from freshwater, saline lakes and marine habitats. Structurally, these biofilms represent complex consortia of unicellular and multicellular, photosynthetic and heterotrophic inhabitants, such as cyanobacteria, microalgae, diatoms, bacteria, and fungi. Biofilm #52 was used as feedstock for bioenergy production. Dark fermentation of its biomass by Enterobacter cloacae DT-1 led to the production of 2.4 mol of H2/mol of reduced sugar. The levels and compositions of saturated, monosaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in Biofilm #52 were target-wise modified through the promotion of the growth of selected individual photosynthetic inhabitants. Photosynthetic components isolated from different biofilms were used for tailoring of novel biofilms designed for (i) treatment of specific types of wastewaters, such as reverse osmosis concentrate, (ii) compositions of total fatty acids with a new degree of unsaturation and (iii) bio-flocculation and concentration of commercial microalgal cells. Treatment of different types of wastewaters with biofilms showed a reduction in the concentrations of key nutrients, such as phosphates, ammonia, nitrates, selenium and heavy metals. This multidisciplinary study showed the new potential of natural biofilms, their individual photosynthetic inhabitants and assembled new algal/cyanobacterial biofilms as the next generation of bioenergy feedstocks which can grow using wastewaters as a cheap source of key nutrients.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 271 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Thailand 1 <1%
Unknown 270 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 49 18%
Student > Master 42 15%
Student > Bachelor 32 12%
Researcher 24 9%
Student > Postgraduate 10 4%
Other 34 13%
Unknown 80 30%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Environmental Science 37 14%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 36 13%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 31 11%
Engineering 22 8%
Chemical Engineering 12 4%
Other 36 13%
Unknown 97 36%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 12 May 2017.
All research outputs
#22,764,772
of 25,382,440 outputs
Outputs from Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts
#1,416
of 1,578 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#284,807
of 325,190 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts
#58
of 62 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,382,440 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,578 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 4.9. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 325,190 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 62 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.